ALL STAR
Jesse LonerganIt's the end of the school year in 1998. Mark McGwire is racing Sammy Sosa to break the home run record, Bill Clinton is being questioned about a White House intern named Monica Lewinsky, Semisonic's Closing Time is on top of the charts, and Carl Carter is leading the Elizabeth Monarchs of rural Vermont to the state championship in his senior year. A full scholarship to the University of Maine is waiting for him, and everyone says he has a shot at the pros. He’s so good he can do whatever he wants.
Until he makes one very arrogant mistake.Nominated for the Firecracker Awards
A YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Assoc.)
Great Graphic Novel for Teens 2015
Recommended by Unshelved.
"Recommended!"
-Library Media Connection
"The art is fantastic and the story a thing of beauty."
-The Outhousers
"This is a wonderfully well-rounded, character-driven story about fairness and self-interest. Lonergan’s black inking and colorless illustrations seem simple but are packed with raw emotion that’s evident in every face and expression. This is an amazing book that both teens and adults will love—definitely a home run."
-Booklist
"Solid stuff." – Comics Wating Room
"It’s a simple story. Many of us have seen or heard similar tales, about golden boys who get whatever they want as long as they’re winning. The appeal for me was Jesse Lonergan’s spare, angular linework, which beautifully captures the motion of the game and the louche arrogance of Carl. It’s an authentic tale of life in a small community, particularly in the wordless sequences of ball practice or late-night party. It’s a pleasure to get lost in the art."
-Joanna Draper Carlson, Comics Worth Reading"One of 12 great baseball comics. An authentic look and feel with spare, yet effective contours and relatable characters and problems."
-Publishers Weekly"a great deal of fun. Lonergan is a sensational character designer and cartoonist. "
- Robot 6- Comic Book ResourcesSee Lonergan’s interview on CBR
See the review and interview by Andrew Capt. Comics Smith of the McClatchy-Tribune News Service
6x9, 176pp., B&W trade pb. $13.99,
ISBN 9781561638352

($9.99)

Catch the e-chapters appearing on Comixology!

JOE & AZAT
Jesse LONERGANJoe is an American in the strange land of Turkmenistan who finds a good friend in Azat, a Turkmen dreamer whose optimism knows no bounds. With tales of doomed desert cab rides, nights of endless vodka shots, unlikely Turkmen business schemes, and secret girlfriends, Lonergan captures not only the bizarreness of living in a country where the president for life launches copies of his poetry books into space, outlaws gold teeth and renames the months and days, but also reveals that there is hope in seemingly hopeless situations. Based loosely on Lonergan’s Peace Corps experience in the former Soviet republic.
"Older readers will find this entertaining graphic novel an eye-opening glimpse into a strange and very different way of life."
-VOYA
"You’ll smile, chuckle, cringe, and roll your eyes plenty as you follow Joe and Azat through their adventures." -Smithsonian
“Lonergan follows his graphic novel, Flower & Fade, with this charming and engrossing study of a friendship that transcends cultural borders. A simply illustrated charmer that grips readers from its opening pages and remains on the mind well after it has been read and absorbed.” -Publishers Weekly
“Lonergan’s clean, sharp lines, minimal backgrounds, and pure black and white (no grays, not even via shading) make another story of a youthful, probably temporary relationship vivid and affecting.
Altogether excellent.” -Booklist
"Cartoonists have long tackled travel writing in a variety of ways. For Lonergan, who was inspired by the short stories of W. Somerset Maugham, he hoped to inject some humanity into a country that’s known mostly for its eccentric dictator."
-The Wall Street Journal
“You only read about the crazy politics and it doesn’t give a sense of reality. I wanted to focus on what life was like for people there rather than the dictator who names January after himself,” says Lonergan. This is a real place and that can be lost in the stories I read.”
-Canada's National Post
"If you like graphic novels with strong characterization and crisp art, determined to open your eyes and your heart, definitely grab a copy of Joe and Azat.8 out 10.” -Sequential Tart
"A warm, humorous comic, solidly crafted, and well worth picking up." -Newsarama
"Lonergan’s art is cartoony but effective. “Joe and Azat” is a quick read, and a pleasant diversion. Who knows? Maybe by the end you’ll want to go to Turkmenistan.”
-Andrew ‘Capt. Comics’ Smith, Scripps Howard News service
"Bombarded with naïve questions concerning American customs from curious locals, overcharged for toothpaste at the village bazaar and constantly in danger of being forced into bribing someone, Joe is surviving by following the basic rules of Turkmenistan. When Joe accidentally breaks the most important rule of all (Never lose your passport), an acquaintance named Azat lends a helping hand and becomes his best friend. Often comical and at times achingly heartfelt."
-Comics Waiting Room
6x9, 104 pp., B&W trade pb.: $10.95, ISBN 978-1-56163-570-2

FLOWER & FADE
Jesse Lonergan
Kyle has just settled in to his new city and job. He doesn’t know anyone around but it’s comfy enough in its boring routine. Erika, a pretty neighbor, catches his eye. They meet, they talk. Before they know it, they’re an ‘item.’ Before they know it, in fact, they’re very very together. It’s a high but it’s frightening. Is it really the right choice? Are they really for each other or just escaping loneliness? There’s great moments. There’s doubts. In the midst of happiness, Kyle gets nightmares of pulling his teeth out.
Jesse Lonergan’s simple style is moody, subdued, lets the pictures mostly do the talking over an expansive graphic novel that is very real and explorative. Another find from NBM’s ComicsLit.
"Lonergan's mastery of visual sequential storytelling (many panels are wordless) thoroughly engages readers." -School Library Journal
"The bare, descriptive artwork ushers nuance and ambiguity into the story. Will likely ring some familiar bells for all readers."
-Kirkus Reviews
"***1/2. An incredible first effort, and a graphic novel well worth reading more than once." -Comics Buyer's Guide"Solid debut!" -Marc Mason, Comicswaitingroom
"Lonergan furnishes his characters’ world pretty much with bare essentials, drawn with few lines... which seems appropriate to this story of how interpersonal minimalism may keep the heart from engaging, let alone breaking." -Booklist
" RECOMMENDED! The wordless passages are often the most evocative, with the black-and-white artwork carrying the story with strong but minimal lines. The perspective is intimate, focusing on facial expressions and body postures that take readers into the lives of the characters as they seesaw between eagerness and world-weariness while hoping for some kind of resolution."- Library Journal6x9, 192 pp., B&W trade pb.: $13.95, ISBN 978-1-56163-496-5